Changes
by nicat
Summary: Lincoln thought her life was messed up, but she thought wrong. Now everything is turned upside down. Moving to a new country, being attacked, now being forced to live her life in Wammy's. Can she adapt and finally solve this case? Or will she be hiding forever? IN PROGRESS. I DO NOT OWN DEATHNOTE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS ONLY MY OCS. LxOC
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE~ **Hello! Thanks for choosing my, my little old fanfiction to read! :) So, this is my first ever fanfiction. After reading so many, I decided to try my hand at it. So, I understand that my introduction, well, actually my first few chapters are a little jumbled and short, but it gets way better I swear! I would like to state now that I am totally open to criticism. So, please let me know what you think. c: Thank you, again, for reading! I hope you enjoy!

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><p>I was a seemingly normal girl. I had pretty good grades…okay, I had amazing grades. I was the top of my class when I graduated last year. But, aside from the grades, that's the only thing that was amazing. My home life was okay. I never saw my mother, she worked. A lot. Which was the reason my dad divorced her. "I never see you anymore, Anna." He would say. My mom was a doctor, probably the top surgeon in Washington. My dad? He was a writer, a journalist. When he was younger, he was a writer for the Times. Yeah, big deal, right? Soon, he met my mom and fell in love at the ripe ol' age of twenty-two. Mom went straight to college right out of high school so her medical studies would be complete. At the time, Mom was in her third year of college and was so in love with my dad. Watching the wedding video, I could really only pray that I was that lucky, that happy, and that beautiful. But what were the chances?<p>

Yeah, I know, I know. They're life seemed pretty spectacular. What happened? That's exactly what happened. Life. Mom went on to med school, Dad continued his writing. Finally, I came along, three years after they got married. Lucky them, right? Wrong. After I was born, mom transferred and Dad quit so they could "live a more stable life" and be closer to my Gran and Gramps (on my mom's side.) Obviously, that was to no avail, because when I was 15, they divorced. So, why am I telling you all this? Well…maybe I think it would help my case…or maybe I just like remembering my life when I was somewhat normal.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lincoln, baby, please. You're only eighteen! Wait another year, will ya?" My mom cooed from the passenger seat. She was still in her scrubs and smelled just like the hospital. She glanced back at me. I looked right into my dark blue eyes. She had worry-lines and a set of very light dark circles under her eyes. My guess from the 48 hour shift she just pulled. "Yeah, Link. Just another year?" My dad called from the driver's side. It was really weird seeing them in the same car. Probably the first time since their divorce. They came to the mutual decision, suggested by yours truly, to ride together to take me to the airport to see me off to England, where I was beginning my life as a student traveling abroad. I was more than excited to move. Partly because I have always wanted to go to Europe, and I really like the underground scene they had there. The other reason was because I was simply tired of Seattle. "We can turn back right now. We can go back home and you can do whatever you want. Wanna redo your room? Go for it! Or, remember that time you wanted to dye your hair blue? You can do that too!" I smiled. "Yeah, but, I can do that now. I'm eighteen. An adult. If I wanted I could dye my hair like skittles and decorate my room like the Sistine Chapel." I paused for a second watched the side of their faces turn from hopeful to sad.

"Besides, the longer I stay, the harder it's gonna be for me to leave you guys. I'll be back soon." I leaned over on the pet carrier that held the closest thing that I had to a best friend. My cat, Izzy. He was a fat cat, really furry and sweet. I told him all my secrets and he pretty much kept them (or ignored me) I thought. The rest of the car ride was just them asking me about my new apartment, my studies, and of course, the dreaded "you better use contraceptive when you…" yeah, that talk…I was a virgin through and through. Don't get me wrong, boys were cool, but I really wasn't interested in someone who wasn't gonna be there forever. I wanted to wait.

At the airport, I kissed them off. My mom, dad, Gran and Gramps. Even my cousins came to see me off. The check in was surprisingly painless and the ride on the plane was fairly smooth. Unfortunately, my luck had to end somewhere. At baggage claim, I learned that the airline had lost one of my bags, the one that held my favorite clothes, at some point. "Great! Just great. You yahoos lost my things? Awesome! My bag could be anywhere! In Greece, the bottom of the ocean, wherever hell may have you." The lady simply looked at me and apologized. I knew that getting angry was sort of pointless, so I just huffed and grabbed the remainder of my luggage and left.

Honestly, I had no idea that England would be so busheling. My taxi drive to my apartment was quiet, the woman didn't seem very interested in conversation, even when I prompted her. So, in silence I sat, until Izzy began to relentlessly mew for a bathroom. Poor cat.

When I finally got to my building, I was jetlagged and smelly. I carried my roll along luggage in one hand, and Izzy in my other. Heaving a sigh, I walked passed the front desk and straight to the elevator. I wanted to lay down and cry. I poked at the paper on the elevator like it was something foreign and sighed. "Of course you're broken. Why wouldn't you be?" I asked it as I walked away. At the entrance to the stairs, I sighed even louder. Four stories. "Let's go." I said to myself, Izzy and my luggage. Halfway up the stairs, I was nearly knocked back down them by someone, who rudely, passed by. "Watch where you're going, asshole!" I called, picking up my bag. I turned around and seen a young man about my age running down the stairs. His blonde hair and leather attire made me assume he was some sort of kid from the underground scene. I just huffed and went on. "Assholes…"

My apartment made the OCD side of me twitch, but honestly, I didn't care. I bent down next to one of the many boxes and placed Izzy's carrier. He flew straight to the empty litterbox in the corner. I could have sworn I saw him shoot me an evil look. "Look, man, chill. I'll set you up." After putting his litter in, I decided that I needed a shower and a long nap.

I opened the small box in the bathroom and dug out some toiletries to bathe with and grabbed a towel. I glanced at the mirror. I was…okay. Long blonde hair, slender shape. Freckles around my nose, and deep blue eyes. I was really pale, my mom always called me a doll. I sighed and jumped in the shower. I washed all the necessary spots, excluding my hair. It was way too thick for me to deal with, and I was way too tired to mess with it. After almost falling asleep twice, I decided my shower was done. I grabbed the towel and lazily dried off.

Since I had nothing unpacked or my cable hooked up, I laid on the unmade bed in my room. I clicked my phone, it was 11 am. Ugh. "Why can't I just nap? I can, can't I Izzy? Just a nap?" He mewed. "Right, come on, kitty!" I called and patted the bed, and he jumped up on the bed with me. First day in a new city and all I am doing is laying in bed. "Maybe I'll sight see tonight, Iz?" I closed my eyes and kept thinking about my new place. My new school and city. I thought about how I was going to have an adventure.

I really wish that I had been wrong


	3. Chapter 3

**_CRASH!_**

"What?" I said, jerking out of bed. In retrospect, it wasn't a very clever idea since I had no idea what in the world caused the sound. I looked around my room. It was lighted by dusk outside. It was 7 in the evening…too early for a break-in, right? "Izzy?" I stood up and walked into the living room slowly. "You rascal!" I called to him. His little fuzzy ass was standing next to a bag that had fallen to the floor. "That's not food, asshat." He mewed and sauntered to me and rubbed my legs. "Okay, kitty. I'll feed you." I laughed at him and walked to one of the bags in the corner.

At this point, I really wanted to be home. I wanted to be with my mom. With my dad. Anyone. I just didn't want to be alone, because then I would have had an excuse for what I heard next. A laugh. I heard a damn laugh right above me. "Silly kitties, huh?" I yelped and fell backwards cradling a bag of cat food. "Wha, what? Who?" I asked the shadow corner shakily. The owner of the voice stepped out fo the darkness and smiled at me menacingly. He was tall and lanky, with spiky black hair a mess on his head. He had a very unfriendly smirk. "How're you tonight? Sleep well?" His voice was soothing and…seductive? I didn't know how to react. "Uh, uh." I sat there with my mouth agape, still holding onto the bag. "It's not ladylike to hold your mouth open…nor is it ladylike to cradle bags on the floor in only a t-shirt." _Shit_. I was still in just a t-shirt. I quickly stood and stepped back from him. "Why are you in my apartment?" I asked. Maybe he was an old tenant here, or a worker? I looked at his close. A baggy long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and he was barefoot. Probably not a worker.

"Just stopping by…you seemed lonely." He stepped towards me. "No, no I am fine. I have a cat, so, maybe you should leave…some other time?" I was so scared I was babbling and making plans to see him again. I had lost it. "No, tonight's fine," he cooed. "Come sit with me, Avery?" I shot him a look. Avery? Maybe he was crazy, looking for his girlfriend or sister? "Uh-," he cut me short by grabbing my waist. I gasped and stared into his eyes. His wide eyes…that were red? I blinked and the red in his eyes vanished returning to a chocolate brown. "Look. I don't know who you are, but if you let me go, I'll give you money or anything, but please don't hurt me." I begged him without a hint of emotion in my voice, but then again, I wouldn't have to. My body was doing the signals for me. I was shaking all over with fear. Suddenly, he laughed. "My dear, money is nothing to me." He made this statement like he was too good, like he didn't need money. "I just want one thing." He squeezed my shoulders and brought his face close to mine. I shuddered when he breathed on my neck and stuck his mouth on my ear. "I just want your pain."

I've never broken anything in my life, but at this point, I would have rather had every bone in my body broken than deal with the searing pain in my stomach. I looked down at the damage that was done and whimpered. He stabbed me. I saw my blood running over the handle and his hands. I looked him in the eye and I saw his smile. He smiled with passion, like my pain was his only desire. I was on the floor again, he threw me across the room and I landed with a thump and a yelp. Izzy hissed and ran underneath my coffee table. He was standing over me again. "I want more." He said hungrily hunching over me. Soon the pain was back, only this time it was worse. He drug it down my side. Sooon he was carving into me, like I was his own personal pumpkin. The pain was unbearable. I screamed as he inched the knife down my stomach, carving whatever he was into me.

Somewhere through my screams, Izzy hissing and howling, and his evil laughter, there was another crash. The feeling in my stomach didn't go away when the knofe was removed, but it eased up some. I could tell blood was still coming out, and from feeling my new wound, I could tell that it was a lot. I turned my head and saw a blonde boy rushing over to me. I couldn't hear much of anything else my pain was too loud for me to hear anything other than a muffled, "dammit," and that was it. Suddenly I was being scooped up into his arms. I could smell chocolate and leather on him. "Wh-" my words were drowned out with gurgles. I spat up blood and coughed. "Shitt, shit, shit." I felt his words in his chest as he picked me up.

Soon I couldn't really see much. I kept blacking out from, what I guessed was blood loss and pain. I remember his voice. He sounded frantic and angry. "He fucking got away…fucked her up real nice." The other voice sounded about his age, but I couldn't make it out.

I don't remember waking up. But I think I had one of those near death experiences where you're floating over your body. The whole time I was in the backseat, being cradled by the boy. Another young man was driving the car. Eventually, we stopped. Instead of dropping me off at the hospital, they took me to an enormous, almost mansion like home.

I don't remember much after that.


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHORS NOTE ~** I would like to know your thoughts? Should I continue or save myslef embarrasment? **_Be KIND._**

The mattress I woke up on was comfortable, very soft and plush like, and my pillows were just the same. The frame was a beautiful black wrought iron with floral design, with a matching vanity. The vanity's glass table top was iced over with floral design. I loved it. While the room was white, the walls weren't bare, nor did they have those stupid scales with the ridiculous pictures of the faces trying to capture your pain. No, they had pictures. My pictures. The pictures of my family. "What the?" I asked out loud, more sleep in my voice than concern. I jumped and grabbed my stomach. What was that pain from? _Screams. Agony. Laughter. Hissing. Him kissing you, the smell of chocolates. _My brain reminded me.

Some man broke into my home and tried to kill, no, torture me. I shuddered at the thought. Then who was that boy who saved me? How did he find me and how… "IZZY!" I screamed. My cat, my damn cat! I threw my legs over the bed, and stood in agony, my stomach wrenched when I moved, but I had to find that fucking fluffball. Before it was too late, I acknowledged the iv in my arm and I grabbed the little pole it hung to and began to wheel it around when I caught a familiar scent.

"'Bout damn time you woke up." I looked around, and standing there was the boy who saved me. He had shoulder length blonde hair, with bangs that laid just above his eyes. His leather attire and rosary beads that hung around his neck were made a little less…tough looking by the candy bar he chewed on in his hands. "Who are you? Where am I?" Another boy walked in behind him. _Probably the other boy in the car the other night. _I thought to myself. He was about the same age as the blonde one, with shaggy brown hair and orange goggles. What I could see of his attire looked like a striped shirt and gloves. I noticed the flirty smirk on his face as he looked me over, and I quickly realized why. I was still in a damn t-shirt only. "Oh!" I screamed and ignored the pain in my stomach while I jumped onto the bed. The second boy laughed and stepped in the room. "I'm Matt, and let me tell you, you're a hot mess." He grinned and stepped out of the way while the other boy grunted passed him. "Stop fucking around, Matt." The blonde hothead blurted out. "You have all the standard questions, and I don't feel like answering them," he stated hastily while grabbing my wrist. I pulled in protest but he was way stronger than me.

"At least let me put on some damn clothes!" I yelped as he pulled me off the bed. My stomach immediately reacted and I made probably the most pained expression, because "Matt" smacked "Mello" on the back of the head rather hard. "Dude, she was just carved like a pumpkin, let her walk by herself." He stated aggressively. Mello sighed and dropped my hand. "I'm taking you to someone who can answer your questions better than me. Put your clothes on and lets go." He walked past Matt and out into the hall. Matt pushed himself off the wall and grabbed the door and began to pull it. "Over look him, he's an ass." He winked and shut the door.

After a few minutes of rummaging through the closet and dresser in the room I was in, I realized that some of the clothes were not mine. They were actually new…with tags. Everything was the correct size and I really didn't know how to act about it. I settled on a pair of jeans and a pull over hoodie, and trust me, getting it on took forever. I had to maneuver everything around my stupid IV, plus take breathers to give my wound time to rest. "This has to stop soon." I mumbled as I walked to the door. When I opened it, I could see Mello and Matt leaning against a railing. My mouth grew wide as I looked down the halls. "This place is huge!" I stated loudly, half expecting an echo. Matt smiled and Mello looked on with an agitated expression. "Yeah, I'll give you a tour later," he sounded nonchalant as he walked towards me. "but, right now, we have to take you somewhere. C'mon." the two boys began to walk down the hall.

The hallways were enormous. After you walked out of one corridor you stepped into a new, or at least that's what if felt like to me. I thought I heard children, and lots of them. _What is this place?_ I asked myself. Like they read my mind, in unison the two stated, "Don't worry, you're about to find out." We finally stopped in front of a large oak door. Behind it, I heard muffled voices of two more men, and clinking of what sounded like plates and forks. Mello pushed the door hard and walked in before Matt or I either one. When I finally stepped into the room, I saw the source of the clinking and one of the voices. An older man with kind eyes greeted me. "Ah, hello, Miss. Are you feeling better? Would you like tea? Coffee?" he gestured towards the cart next to him, his smile small under his rather killer mustache. I smiled politely. "No thank you." I looked around for the source of the other voice, and I finally saw it.

A sense of recognition and fear swelled inside me, and nearly tripped backwards trying to get away. I saw his black messy hair, and I saw the same baggy t-shirt and jeans. Only a few feet in front of me, was him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note ~ **I would like to forewarn you, I will probably make plenty of grammatical errors with punctuation. My cat knocked my water bottle over and well…my keys on my laptop (and I think my speakers) suffered the consequences. So, yes, many a comma-splice due to lack of semi-colons/colons. My apologies. I would also like to welcome reviews/questions! On another note, my writing will slow and I will write better…got sorta jumpy and excited. x3333 At any rate, I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

My heart rate increased sensing danger, and I nearly fell trying to get away. I turn and ran to the door, only to be stopped by Mello and Matt. _I'm gonna die! _I thought to myself, frantically looking for an escape. "I-it's him!" I yelped, my voice cracking with fear. I could feel my eyes burning, and it was obvious I was on the verge of tears and no one was trying to help me. _What if this is a set up_? I asked myself. And just as soon as the question came, he answered me like he was reading my mind.

"I assure, I will cause you no harm."

I stopped pulling at my arms long enough to hear him speak. His cool voice was calm and straightforward. I examined the man speaking. He was very skinny, and obviously very tall. He had black hair that stuck out all over his head, a mess. And large dark eyes that looked like a void. Aside from his hair, his black rings under his clearly insomniac eyes shocked me. Any goth person would have been envious of the au natural of the black rings. And the way he sat…or should I say _perched_…he looked relatively harmless.

No one spoke for what seemed like forver. What finally broke the silence was a soft mew coming from the man's direction. A furry head popped up from between his knees. "Izzy!" I screamed. The cat leaped from his lap and sauntered over to me. "You furry little cow!" I exclaimed as I scooped him up and kissed his head.

"Felines are interesting creatures." I looked up to the man and watched him. He had his thumb between his lips watching me. He spoke again: "Miss Phelps, I am sure that you have many questions regarding your whereabouts and safety; I can promise you that you are in fine hands." He spoke calmly, keeping his hands on his knees. He began to reach towards one of the many pastries on the cart next to him. "To begin, your current location is still within England. You are currently at an orphanage known as Wammy's," he paused to take a bite out of his cake. "This orphanage is one for gifted children." He reached down and grabbed a strawberry off of one of the many other cakes and popped it in his mouth. He gestured towards the older man in the suit. "This is Watari, he will assist you in anything you need, if you have any request, please do not hesitate to ask." He took another bite out of the cake; this time mouth full, he spoke. "You may interact with the rest of the household, but please remember that they have studies throughout the day; as for your studies, this has been resolved. On your file, it states that you are currently enrolled at a University in England. It would be very dangerous for you to travel outside of Wammy's alone; therefore your studies will begin here." I stood up with Izzy in my arms.

"Do you have any more questions? He asked finishing off the little cake, reaching for another. "Obviously," I began, cocking my hip. He watched me with his fork in his mouth. "I wanna know about the reason why I am here; that guy almost killed me. And they saved me." I pointed to the two boys sitting on the couch behind me. "that guy, may I add, who looked a lot like you." I thought about the night and how he kissed me, and whispered sadistically and seductively into my ear. "I also want to know who you are." I glanced around the room to everyone, who I momentarily forgot about. Matt and Mello were still seated. Matt playing his DS, and Mello chewing another candy bar. Watari was still standing politely next to the nameless. He pulled out a little handkerchief and dabbed the side of his forehead. "Yes, of course." He placed his empty plates on the cart next to him. "I am L." he stated calmly. "I am the World's Greatest Detective, and I am currently in charge of a case, in which currently, you are the only surviving victim.

_Way to be modest…_ I thought to myself. "What do you mean?" My stomach burned in protest to my standing for so long. I placed my hand over my wound and hobbled backwards to the small couch that Matt and Mello were on. All eyes were now on me. "Are you hurting, Miss?" Watari asked with concern on his face. L, as he claimed to be, watched me. Though I couldn't honestly tell, there was something there in his large eyes. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and winced. "Boy, you couldn't have given me anything a little stronger?" I mumbled. Matt placed his DS by his side and began to fiddle with my line, doing what I assumed opening it up so more medicine could flow to my veins faster.

"Miss Phelps, I must request that you rest now. At lunch, Matt and Mello will get you to take you to eat and to give you a tour of Wammy's. After your tour, they will bring you back here to me. I sat there nodding, feeling the medicine making it's way through my veins. "Matt, Mello, please escort Miss Lincoln to her room." Watari spoke calmly. Matt helped me stand and guided me out of the room, Mello walking behind us.

I looked to the boys and sighed. "So, you all know everything about me, right?" Matt nodded. "Everything there is to know." Matt stated winking at me. "You're name is Lincoln Phelps, you're eighteen, natural blonde, you were born and raised in Seattle to Marcus and Anna Phelps, you're an only child…and you're pretty cute." He smirked and kept walking. I could tell that we were gonna get along just fine. "Cut it out, Matt." Mello griped. "Jealous, Mello?" he teased. "OF COURSE NOT!" Mello yelled, his face turning from white, to pink, to red, to really pissed. Matt howled with laughter as he opened my door. I really hadn't noticed that we had walked so quickly back to my room…probably the medicine taking its final toll.

I walked straight to my bed and laid down. "Thanks." I sleepily said laying down carefully not to hurt my stomach again. When I finally got my head down, I kept my eyes closed. I suddenly felt a light pressure on my chest, I recognized this as Izzy, and cuddled him close. I could still sense the boys in the room with me, and I just continued to lay there. I felt myself falling down into sleep. "We'll be back at lunch, Link." I smiled at the nickname my dad used to use. I wonder if they could access that kind of _personal information. _I could hear their voices growing distant; eventually I couldn't hear them at all, or anything for that matter.

For the longest time, there was no sound invading my sleep. I couldn't hear or feel anything. It was peaceful. Suddenly, I felt everything. I felt cold, hot…and I could feel the burning pain in my stomach again, only intensified. I could feel all the blood coming out of my stomach. When I opened my eyes, it was mostly dark. My heart beat faster. I could see two small orbs of red. Then I heard it. His laughter. I felt his arms holding me again, and suddenly he was staring down at me again. "I need more, love." He smiled evilly, sweetly, brushing my hair back. I felt the intensity of his burning gaze as he inched his knife down my body. He leaned down and kissed my neck, and I shuddered. I tried to scream, but nothing but gurgles of blood would come out.

"Lincoln! Lincoln!" I could hear someone calling for me over his laughter. "Lincoln! Link!"

I woke up to Matt and Mello hovering over me on either side. They both had horrified looks on their faces. I realized that I hadn't been breathing and I let out a long breath. "You alright?" Matt spoke first. "What the hell was all the screaming for?" Mello chimed in. I felt my face redden. I had had a nightmare. A part of me breathed a sigh of relief because it was _just_ a nightmare, the other half of me sighed out of irritation for being such a big baby. "It was just a bad dream." I said, hoping to convince myself as I told them. They looked to each other. "Must've been pretty bad," Matt began. "It sounded like you were dying." I looked at Mello who looked extremely annoyed and bored. "You ready to eat? You haven't eaten since hell knows when." He said walking towards the door. Like it knew I that I was going to protest, my stomach growled. Mello rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a yes." The blonde now leaned against the door. "Well, lets go," he said witha grunt. "I'm hungry too." I smiled after him as he walked out of the room. When I stood, Matt walked out behind him. I grabbed my IV and wheeled it outside. By the time I outside with the boys, a bell chimed three times. At this time, I heard more children than I did earlier. They came out of the many doors and from outside. They all walked passed us in a hurry, laughing and smiling. They seemed so happy.

We walked on and finally stopped at two lage oak doors that were cracked enough for me to see some of the commotion inside. Behind them was undoubtedly the dining room. Many voices and sounds of plates clanking against each other, and many wonderful smells. Matt and Mello glanced back and I nodded. This would be the start of my tour, and the start of my new life at Wammy's.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note~ **I found a solution to my keyboard problem; on-screen keyboard! :D Yay! Anyway, I am really curious of your opinions if you're reading this. I am currently in training for a new job, and I am writing on this story on work breaks, coming home and writing it. I really am trying to make a post a night; so, if there's something you think I should do differently, a part of the story you didn't like, or maybe you just loooooove it, let me know! ;) J Thanks for your feedback and thank you for reading! Also, please let me know about what you think about L with a cat! :3

I gasped when we entered the dining hall. It was beautiful. The ceilings were tall, with intricate designs on the white baseboards. The wallpaper looked soft to touch, with baby blue color all the way down to the floor. It was simple, yet lovely. It felt like I was walking around in a mansion. The large window at the end of the room was large, with long white curtains billowing down the sides. I looked at the table and was surprised that it wasn't breaking in half with all the food! On the silky white table cloth, aside from the many plates, sat many bowls of fruit, delicious smelling soup and plates of yummy-looking sandwiches. No one gaped when we walked into the room. I was very surprised as all the children, give or take a few who smiled at me, didn't even notice me. This eased my anxiety some. At one point Matt and Mello had switched directions: Matt going left and Mello going right. I hadn't been paying attention, and followed Matt all the way down the table to two empty seats. Mello sat across from us, directly in front of me. His seating partner gave off a familiar feel of recognition.

He sat in the chair, one knee drawn to his chest, playing with little action figures around his plate. He wore what looked like white pajamas. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. What stood out most, other than him being completely adorable, was his white hair. My staring must have been noticeable, because it was addressed. "Lincoln Phelps." The boy stated twirling a strand of his white hair around his finger. Does _everyone_ know my name? "How do you know my name?" I felt stupid for asking. I was in a house full of geniuses, after all. "I was verifying." Mello growled something inaudible, while Matt introduced us with a full mouth. "That's Near, he is one of L's successors." A final gulp. One of? How many did he have? I watched Matt pull out his DS and began to hit buttons furiously. I noticed Mello's everlasting glare at Near; he really didn't enjoy his presence. Was Mello also a successor for L? Was there an unspoken rivalry between the two? I later found that this rivalry was far from unspoken…

I was still pondering my life at Wammy's when I noticed a pale, bony hand place something on my plate. It was an orange. "I know you've not eaten since your arrival, and possibly sometime before that." Near stated playing with his little figures, without looking at me. "I also know that oranges are your favorite fruit, though you enjoy any sort of citrus." I gaped. _What the hell. _Mello bit into a chocolate bar and fiddled with his rosary. "Nothing is a secret for you. At least, not from us." Mello said this matter-of-factly without looking at me. After a minute of awkward silence, the bell to end lunch sounded. "Ready for that tour?" Matt asked me, with full concentration on his game. "Ready as ever." I mumbled. I shot an evil look to my IV and went to stand. Mello reached over the table and grabbed my arm. "Are you hurting? Anywhere?" he asked me. He smelled just like chocolate. I thought about his question. No, I wasn't hurting. I actually felt pretty damn good. "No, actually, I feel fine." He flipped my arm over and stopped the IV, and pulled the tube out, leaving only the needle. "There, so you don't slow us down with that thing." He pulled himself back over the table and stood straight. Matt took notice that he was the only person still sitting and stood. I finally noticed that we were the only ones still in the room.

Upon leaving the dining room, we were in another large hallway. The only difference from this hall and the one upstairs, was the lack of doors. I guessed that most of the rooms were upstairs, and this was where the children had classes and recreation. There were a few large doors down the hall, my guess the classrooms. Matt and Mello stopped me in front of a large archway leading into a room. "This is the playroom. The kids mostly come in here to play with small toys and blocks or to play with puzzles and draw." He pointed to some kids in the corner building a large castle out of blocks. I stepped into the room and looked around. Aside from the four children building the castle, there were only four other children in the room. Two were at one of the tables in the back playing what seemed to be a very intense game of chess.

I noticed Near in the back twirling his hair around his finger, and working on a puzzle. The other person in the room was a girl who looked about my age, maybe a few years younger than me. The girl was sitting on the window seat reading a book. She had dark auburn hair pulled back into a tight fishtail braid that laid perfectly over on her shoulder. She wore a peach colored sundress with light green sneakers. Her slim shoulders were bare and a smooth cream color. She was gorgeous. Once again, my staring did not go unnoticed, and she waved me over. I flushed and looked at the ground. I glanced back to Matt and Mello for approval, only to find that they were gone. Some tour guides. I smiled at the girl and walked to her.

"You must be the new girl I've been hearing about." She smiled at me sweetly. I knew it was too good to be true; I was a hot topic after all. I nodded, still taken aback by her English accent. "Yep, that's me." I made a smile and sat down on the window seat. Since she hadn't stated that she knew my name, I introduced myself. "I'm Lincoln." She closed her book with a sigh. "I'm Nataliee. And this book is annoying." So much for introductions. "How come?" I asked attempting to make my first female acquaintance at the house. "Why? Because. The heroine…she's one of _those_ girls." She paused to adjust herself. "You know, one of the ones who are obviously head over heels for a guy, and everyone knows the guy likes her back? That's what makes it annoying. They just won't get together already!" she huffed and began to doodle something on a book. I already knew that she fell under the artist category. I was about to ask her about her drawing, but she took the initiative to ask me something first. "So, Lincoln. You're a pretty girl. Do you have a boyfriend?" If I had been drinking something, she would have been wearing it. I was so surprised by her question. "I-I-. No?" I stumbled out. Her clear blue eyes went wide. "No? Really? No way." She smiled moving a little closer, as if trying to verify my statement. "No, I really don't."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked her quickly. She sighed and fell back onto the pillow supporting her. "No," she started off slow. "But, I have someone in mind." Before she could continue, I noticed something outside. Something heading straight for the window. It was coming quickly, so I had to move. "Get down!" I screamed to all the children. I grabbed Nataliee and pulled her down with me, and we huddled against the window seat on the floor. When whatever it was finally made contact with the window, it made a loud crash and glass shattered everywhere. The rest of the kids, except Near who stayed in his seat and was now covered with the cards he was apparently building a house with, were either under tables or out in the hall. From underneath me, I heard Nataliee grumble something to the effect of "stupid boy." As I stood, I heard a very loud laugh, followed with many expletives, come from the outside. My stomach ached when I dusted myself off, but I sucked it in. A shaggy haired boy, about the same age as Nataliee, wearing goggles popped his head into view. "Well, well, well! You must be the new girl!" he blurted out through a laugh. His braces shown with his big goofy grin. He was wearing a plain orange t-shirt and a pair of jeans, as well as something that resembled grease stains. His face was black from smoke. I noted the smoke trail looming in the sky from whatever it was that he had set off. "Ryan! You idiot! This is the second window you broke this week! Do you understand what kind of trouble you're going to be in when Roger and Watari find you?!" Nataliee wasn't yelling, but she was talking loudly when she spoke to him. Another boy about their age popped into view. He didn't say anything, but kept a blank expression on his face. He was oriental, with short black hair. "Ah, c'mon, Nat. Live a little!" he pointed to the small rocket that had crashed through the window and he reached it to him. He flicked his hand as he ran out of sight.

I watched the girl next to me lose the blush in her cheeks as he left. "Ryan may be silly and really clumsy with his inventions, but he is really smart." She began. "It just takes him a few tries to get his invention going. But he is really good at what he does. She was looking around at the mess that he had made and sighed. "You better head out of here before Roger shows up. He'll be ticked!" I thanked her, and she hugged me, informing me of our new friendship. I turned to leave and decided to check on Near before I left. But of course, he was missing now too. I sighed with agitation and walked out of the play room just in time to see a man barge into the playroom angrily. Roger.

I had dodged that bullet miraculously. Without my supposed "guides" I decided to venture on myself until I found them. I followed the hall back down and into the dining hall, which was still empty. Clean plates had been placed back on the table. I looked at the door in the back and I made my way through it. Unfortunately for me, I was not able to see much because halfway through my little tour of the massive kitchen, an angry looking woman chased me out, threatening me with a large wooden spoon.

I exited through a different door due to the chase, and I was completely lost. I made my way around another corner and saw a glass door leading outside. I decided that looking inside was pointless unless I wanted to get lost forever, so I settled for exploring outside.

**L'S POV**

I watched out the window as the young woman outside walk around aimlessly. We had to keep close eyes on her. I turned back to my successors. They all watched me closely. I stuck my hands back into my pockets and walked back to my seat. "As of now we have no idea where Backup is located. However, it is safe to assume that he has accomplices, though they may not be involved with the murders, they could very well be ploys to attempt to keep us off Backup's trail." None of them said anything. They all seemed to understand. "We must make sure to protect Miss Phelps, since she is our most substantial form of evidence, and the only surviving victim." I grabbed the cup that was next to me and dropped fourteen sugar cubes into the cup. With that, I dismissed them. After they all left the room, Watari entered. "Could you please find Miss Phelps and ask her to come inside for our meeting, Watari?" My old friend smiled and nodded. "Of course."

**BACK TO LINCOLN**

After wandering along the edge of the trees in the summer sun, I had made my way back around to the other side of the house. I saw two figures standing in the middle of the lawn. One of them was holding a garbage bag, while the other just stood there. I recognized them as the two boys from earlier. "I'm telling you, Harp, next time it will fly. And it will be awesome! All the kids will love it!" the other boy never spoke. "Love what?" I asked, stuffing my hands into my front hoodie pocket. It was the last few days of summer, and today was particularly chilly. "New girl!" Ryan jerked around and flashed me his braces along with his goofy grin. "Ah, can't tell ya. It'll ruin the surprise." He stuffed weeds and dead leaves down into the bag. "Man, to be two old guys, Watari and Roger caught up with me pretty quickly, right Harper?" he looked to his companion who remained silent. "Yeah, it was crazy. I really didn't mean for my rocket to go AWOL and almost kill ya, new girl." His face was now clean of the debris from earlier. I waved him off. "Don't worry about it! I am clearly invincible." I stated like I was offended for him to even consider me getting hurt. "Of course!" he pulled the glove off his hand and stuck it out to me. "Ryan, inventor. And this is my best friend, Harper. He doesn't talk much, but he's very cool." I shook his hand. "Lincoln, um, random." I didn't have a gift or special ability. "Random, huh?" he laughed. Before anyone else had time to say anything, the bell rang. "Dang, dinner already? Man, I have to do all of tonight's dishes and finish the yard tomorrow because of the dang window." He sighed and picked up his bag, Harper following him. I followed the two boys to the house. On my way to the dining hall, Watari stopped me.

"Miss, I must inquire you to follow me, L would like a word with you." I thought about the man from earlier. He was only a few years older than me, at the most he was twenty-three. He looked very tired. The rings under his eyes would have made my mother look bright eyed bushy-tailed. I nodded and smiled politely to the old man and followed him up the stairs, going against the small wave of children. I followed him up to the room from earlier and he nodded. "I am going to town to take care of a few things, L is right inside." He smiled sweetly and tipped his hat to me. I waved.

Once inside I saw L standing next to the window peering down. He was very tall. Even though he was hunched over, he made my 5'3 frame look miniscule. As I walked more into the room, I could see the muscle underneath his baggy shirt. To be as skinny and lanky as he was, he definitely had tone. "L?" I called to him. He turned to me, his face blank. "Miss Phelps, I would like to speak with you over your situation." His voice calm, never faltering. He stuck his hands in his pockets and scratched the back of his left leg with his right barefoot. "I understand that you are still very frightened about your experience," Oh great. Did he know about my damn nightmare now too? "But I must assure you to not worry. Now, I have a few questions to discuss with you." He walked over to the desk and perched himself on the chair in front of the laptop. "Can you tell me about the night that you were attacked?" he was very straightforward. I sat down in chair. "I don't remember. I woke up because Izzy knocked something over. I walked into my living room, and the next thing I know some guy, who once again looks _exactly_ like you, was stabbing me." He leaned forward a little. "Anything else?" I thought hard. _Come sit with me, Avery? _I thought back to that detail. "Well, he called me something." He stayed blank faced. "He called me Avery." I watched L for any emotion change. _He is literally a robot_. "Thank you, Miss Phelps." He pulled his laptop up. "Since you missed your dinner, would you like me to have Watari bring you something?" What? Already done with our meeting? I shook my head. "You may retire, if you wish. Please come back tomorrow for some more questions."

I heard a mew. I glanced up and saw L's face redden a little. Izzy popped up between his knees again, and rubbed his head on his chest. I smiled. It actually looked kind of cute. "He likes you." I stated. L's face returned to normal and he patted his head. "Yes, he is good company." He scratched behind Izzy's ear and I heard him purring from across the room. L moved him from his leg and sat him on the floor. "If you would like him, here. But if you would like you may leave him here. He is free to roam the house as he pleases." The World's Greatest Detective is asking me for permission to play with my cat. I held back a laugh. "I'll let him be. If he wants me he can come back to my room." L was stacking up sugar cubes on his desk. "Thank you for all your help Miss Phelps." And with that he discarded me.

Back in my room, I showered and changed. I was careful with my IV needle and the staples in my stomach. The scar was going to be nasty. I felt a tinge of hatred as I looked at it. It looked like an A. I was angry because this physco was still out there, and was still probably looking for me. I pulled my shirt back down and walked to my bed. The mattress was cool. Even though I didn't know anything about L, I had a feeling that he was the real deal. It didn't take long for me to drift off to sleep. And I surprisingly didn't have nightmares. Just dreams about video games, chocolate, small toys and sweets.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

So what do you think? J L's pretty damn cute with a cat, huh? : 3 I know that this chapter was pretty long compared to the others, and hopefully the rest of them will be pretty good. Any questions? Let me know! : 3


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **I am so sorry for not posting! School and work sucks! Anyway, hope you enjoy! I really hope you like it! I didn't know how to end this chapter…so… :3 Anyway, please enjoy!

For some reason, I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't wake up out of fear or anything, I just couldn't sleep anymore. I raised up and looked around my room. It was silent, and almost completely dark. Moonlight shined in on the pillow where I was laying. How peaceful. I couldn't go back to sleep, I decided to go looking for L.

I'm not sure why, but I really wanted to speak with him again. The hallway outside my room was a little brighter than my room, every other light on the wall was turned on to light up the corridor. I walked past all the rooms, listening to light snoring, some voices whispering, and some with lights still on in the rooms. I thought about life growing up here at Wammy's, like the children that were here now. These children were orphans, and that was the whole reason why they were here. I was here because I was being protected. That made my heart sink a little. Poor kids…I guess every hero had a sad back story after all.

I thought about the kids that had met here thus far: Mello, Matt, Near, Nataliee, Ryan, and even Ryan's silent best friend, Harper. These kids were so near to my age, and they were orphans. I wondered if they remembered life outside of Wammy's, or even when they came here. What if they came here recently because of tragedy? My mind flashed to L. Was that why he was so unemotional? I stopped in my tracks. Poor L. He was a product of Wammy's, right? So, was he an orphan too? I sighed and began to walk again. I really wanted to know L's backstory, just to see what made him the way he was. I stopped walking when I got to the dark oak door. I felt nervous, like I shouldn't possibly be disturbing him. But I really needed to talk to him.

Before I knocked on the door, I gave myself a pat on the back; I hadn't gotten lost on my journey to L's lair. I waitied outside the door, just to see if I could hear anything. Of course there was no sound. I knocked on the door lightly, making little to no sound. After no response came I decided that he hadn't heard me; I opened the door anyway and peered my head inside. L sat with his back facing me, hunched over his laptop. The only light in the room was the aforementioned computer, so my eyes had to adjust from the hallway to his room. "L?" I called to him stepping in so my whole body was inside. My arms were bare thanks to my tank top, and I felt extremely awkward, I crossed my arms in an attempt to cover them better, waiting for L to notice me. When he did turn, he seemed emotionless, however, I could have sworn there was something in his voice when he spoke: "Miss Phelps?" I took a step forward as he spoke again. "Can I help you?" and just like that all emotion (if there was even any in his voice to begin with) was gone. I just shook my head, causing my massive ponytail to wag back and forth across my back. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to speak with you again." He then put his back to me, the back of his head messy with hair. "Very well, what is it?" I stepped closer to him, examining his perched figure. _How does he sit like that?_ I sat in the chair next to him, and he looked over to me. I examined his face, the side especially highlighted by the computer. He gave me a small smile that vanished as soon as it came. "Are you okay?" I sat there a moment longer before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering. Do you really think that I am safe here?" I looked over to his computer screen and saw a lot of windows popped up. One looked like a news channel, a few photo files popped up in one corner, and at the very bottom I saw what a looked like a video feed. I saw a bed with white sheets. The bed looked familiar. It was my room.

My jaw dropped. "What is _that_?" I asked him pointing to the computer screen, giving him no time to even answer my first question. He lightly chuckled and stood up, stretching in his own weird way. "To your first question, yes, I do believe you are very safe. Which goes to answer you second question. That video is in your room to help assure your safety." He seemed very nonchalant; like it didn't even bother him to be invading my privacy. "But why? Why are you watching me?" I thought back to my shower earlier. "Do you have one in my bathroom?" He just looked at me. "No." Very simple. "However, if you are concerned about the possibility of my seeing you undress, there is a feature that enables me to see the heat you give off, no physical attributes whatsoever." He paused to pop a small red candy in his mouth. "I have placed the camera to make sure no one, other than those permitted, are in your room." I thought back to the window in my room and I shuddered. Yeah, I was on the second floor, but it could be possible for someone to get in that way. Chills traveled down my spine when I thought about someone breaking in. My mind tried to wander somewhere darker, but I snapped out of it before I was too invested. I decided to drop the camera subject; I caught the feeling that even though I would disagree, L wasn't going to change his mind.

He was sitting down again, with his thumb between his lips staring at the computer screen. He was leaning so far forward I felt the need to pull him back so he didn't hit the desk face first. "What are you looking at?" I asked, never taking my eyes away from him. He was a really intriguing character. I was really surprised when he gave me a response. "Currently, I am looking at previous murders that happened just before your attack." He nibbled on his thumb. "At first, Backup had a plan, he seemed generally cautious of his actions and never did anything out of character. But for some reason, you made him act on random." I watched him as he pulled a small sucker out of his pocket and unwrapped it. He never took his eyes away from the screen. You could tell that he was thinking very hard, almost being able to see the wheels in the detectives head turning.

I wondered if he actually knew "Backup." "Do you know him?" He looked at me, his face blank. "Yes." He chewed on his sucker and turned his head back to the computer. "Backup, or B if you prefer, was one of my first successors here at Wammy's." This frightened me. He knew where Wammy's was. "A successor? S-so, you mean, that at one point he was actually…good?" I felt stupid for asking this; like a small child asking the difference between right and wrong. L's response was a crunch on his sucker. "I suppose you could say so," he began. "Backup couldn't handle the pressures of being the next L. So he left the orphanage." The detective crunched one last time on his sucker before placing the stick on the arm chair. L's job would be a doozy, no doubt. But was it really bad enough to drive someone crazy? Maybe you just had to have a certain mental capacity? Or at least be void of all emotions (in Mello's case all emotions except hatred and anger) to be able to do it? He scratched the back of his head and moved his hand back to his knee. I thought about a young L walking around Wammy's, happy, playful and carefree. He probably never had a childhood. I was about to ask when he took up the occupation of World's Greatest Detective when he interrupted me. "Why are you staring?" I blushed. I definitely had a staring problem. "Would you like a piece of candy?" he had his arm stretched out, a small piece of pink candy laying in his palm. I wanted to face palm. He kept his arm outstretched to me, waiting for me to take the damn candy. Without thinking, I reached for it. "Thank you." I mumbled, popping it into my mouth. Despite its pink color, it tasted like apples. I savored the little candy for as long as it would last. Figuring that I was satisfied, L turned his attention back to the screen. I settled in the chair, laying my head down and throwing my ponytail over the back of the chair. I looked up to L, his face remaining blank, watching him watch the screen until I fell asleep.

**L's POV**

I was having a hard time concentrating with her in the room. She was too distracting. I didn't understand why she so easily caught my attention; I could easily work through most anything. Even with the occasional window busting, which happened a lot here lately, didn't even take my mind off my work. I decided the reason why she was so intriguing was due to the fact that she was our only, and rather peculiar, piece of evidence.

I was about to ask her to leave, when I turned and found her asleep. I examined her while she slept. She was curled tightly in the chair, breathing quietly. Her face had worry lines. I was really surprised to see her shuffle into the room at the hur she did. It was nearly two in the morning when she came to speak to me. She mumbled in her sleep. I decided to leave her alone, she needed to rest. I stood and walked to the room attached the one I was in; it was a bedroom that I never used. The bed untouched and never lain in. I grabbed the edge of the sheet with my finger and thumb and tugged until it came off, and I turned back to my workspace. Once back in the room, I draped the sheet over Lincoln and watched as she pulled it closer to her and rub her cheek against it. I sat back down and looked to my screen. The cat, Izzy, was sitting next to the laptop with his fur sticking out onto the screen. I looked at him and smiled a little, he mewed in response. "I must work now. For justice."

**Lincoln's POV**

I woke up to several voices. I didn't move so I wouldn't disrupt whatever they were talking about, it seemed pretty important. "So, more murders have happened?" I recognized Matt's voice. "Yes, but one of these murders could only be the work of Backup." L spoke with confidence. "This one is far too messy for Backup." I imagined L pointing his long, bony fingers to the screen as he spoke. "So, he is hiring other people to kill for him." Matt spoke again, I concluded he was playing a game. "He is hiring these people to murder for him to lead us away from his trail." Near spoke, his voice bored. Of course, this came with an outburst from Mello. "WE CAN'T LET HIM KEEP KILLING PEOPLE AS TESTS OR COVERUPS." I jerked up and almost came out of the chair I had slept in when he banged his hands on the desk. When my eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight pouring in from the window, I saw everyone in the room looking at me. Mello still standing leaning on the desk, Near building a house of cards, L, perched on his hair, and Matt staring at me with a smoke dangling between his lips. Taking a mental note of the cigarette to ask about later, I sat there awkwardly until Matt broke the silence. "We didn't mean to wake you." Matt was looked at me, his bright blue eyes uncovered from his goggles.

Near was the next to speak; however he only spoke to break my cover. "She wasn't asleep, Matt." He stated this simply and dryly. I blushed deeply. I finally looked to the other person standing in the room, the only one not speaking. Watari smiled to me kindly, and spoke even sweeter. "Good morning, miss." He began. "Care for some breakfast? Can I get you something to drink?" Watari was such a gentleman. I eyed the small cart he was gesturing to. It was full of small pastries and cupcakes, each looking delicious. I didn't want anything too sweet, and I was about to decline when my eyes fell on a muffin that looked delicious. "Well…I am kind of hungry." I mumbled as I stretched my legs and stood and walked to the cart. After retrieving my muffin and walking back to sit down, I grabbed my blanket with my free hand and draped it back over my legs. Wait. My blanket? I ran my hand down the soft fabric. When did I get this? Did L get it for me? I felt myself blushing when I looked up to meet his eyes staring into mine. I jerked my eyes away and blushed, I was nervous. Without thinking I slammed a piece of muffin into my mouth, trying to distract L. This was clearly the wrong way to do it, because everyone was looking at me like I was an idiot. At that moment, I didn't really care. The muffin was amazing. It was very sweet and tasted like oranges. I gave Watari a thumbs up and said something to the effect of: "My compliments to the chef!" Unfortunately, I had my mouth full. So instead, my sentence came out as, "Mm comflimenfs toa chefff." Watari understood, responding with a kind, "Thank you, Miss." I took another bite and glanced to the others. Mello gave me a look that let me know that now wasn't the time. "So, he struck again?" I asked quietly. Mello nodded and spoke with malice tainted on his words. "Yes, he's hiring goons to randomly murder people; twice as many people could be hurt if we don't do something." Matt was next to speak, pulling out an old Gameboy instead of a DS. "Mello, there's nothing we can do right now, other than disregard the phony murders he's trying to distract us with." I half expected another outburst from Mello, or a disagreement from someone, instead Near spoke next. "That is correct." He called from the floor, again playing with his cards.

I glanced to L's screen. Two pictures were pulled up; both very gruesome. The one on the right showed a woman with one arm above her head straight, and the other arm laid across her body. It was clearly broken. She was beaten badly, her throat slit and stomach gashed open. She was beautiful, and young. Probably twenty-four. Her dark brown hair was flowered around her head. I would have expected there to be so much blood. But instead, her skin was clean and smooth, except for the nasty looking bruises. It was horrifying, and the picture on the left looked exactly the same, except for a different young woman. How could they tell the difference when there was no bloodshed? I was about to ask when L interrupted me. "We will investigate further tonight. "Everyone may go about as they please." He glanced to each of the boys, his eyes landing last on me. "I must ask you to follow, Lincoln." This was the first time he had called me by my first name. It sounded different than how anyone else would have said it. Each letter, each sound in my name was pronounced perfectly. Before I could protest, L was already out of the door. Damn him. "I'll go this time!" I called after him.

Everyone had went in separate directions, leaving me alone in the hall. As I walked down the hall, I heard yells coming from outside. I stopped at a window and glanced down into the green yard, spotting three figures standing next to a small fire. I shook my head, and went towards my destination.

"It almost took off that time!" Ryan screamed. He was pointing to the small rocket laying on the ground, smoking. "I just have a few more things to tweak, then it'll be ready." He was yelling out of excitement. Nataliee had one arm on her hip and her other hand on her forehead, shaking her head. "It's not going to be worth anything if we are dead!" she spoke sternly in her heavy accent. I walked up to them, trying not to disrupt their argument. Harper was staring at me, a small smile on his face. Thankfully, they stopped the argument as soon as they noticed me, and didn't bring me into it. "Lincoln!" they echoed each other. I stuck my hand up and gave my wrist a small flick. "What's up?" I asked, wiping my brow after the long trek from the house to this part of the yard. "Oh, nothing, just trying to stay alive." Nataliee shot Ryan a sharp glare while she spoke. Ryan smiled wide. "Working." Was all he said as he picked the rocket up. "What are you trying to make?" I demanded playfully. Ryan rolled his eyes. "If you must know, I am in the process of making the best damn lightshow you've ever seen. It's for tomorrow; our last free day of summer before our classes start." He nodded to me. "It's basically a field day for us. We play outside all day, and at night we watch fireworks and hangout. It's a whole lot of fun!" she was smiling brightly. I admired her outfit of the day. A pale purple dress. It made me feel better to know that these kids actually got playtime.

I was pretty excited for my fist celebration here at Wammy's. I smiled, as my brain hatched an idea. "Ryan, can you follow some blueprints if I sketch them for you?"

After sending Ryan off with some sketches that _I_ attempted but failed miserably with, (I had Nataliee draw them, I completely forgot about my lack of artistic ability. Silly me.) I went to locate Matt, Mello and Near. After a good ten minutes looking for him, and another chase out of the kitchen, I settled for asking some kids in the playroom where they would be. "Matt's room, more than likely." A short girl with short black hair stated. Her twin brother finished the conversation for us. "Room 14." I thanked them and let them continue doing whatever it was that they were, and headed for room 14. I never noticed that Matt's room was next to mine, making me feel safer against the window in my room. I knocked on the door, hearing Matt laugh from somewhere inside. A quiet Near opened the door, giving me a small smile. I looked into the room, cereal boxes laying in front of the TV, a happy Matt playing something, and an annoyed Mello on the bed. "Glad you could join us, Lincoln." Mello stated. I stepped inside, and was then greeted by Matt. "Link, get over here and let me kick your ass!" Matt beckoned from the bean bag chair in front of TV. He has his arm stretched out reaching me a controller. My cheeks turned pink. "I dunno, Matt…what game is it?" He responded with a cheeky grin. "Gears of War." I put on my pokerface. If there was ever a game that I was good at, it was Gears. I played enough growing up with my cousins that I was practically a natural. I sat down next to him, taking the controller and pressing some buttons. "Is it difficult?" I asked him sheepishly. He threw his head back and laughed, pressing buttons to get through the loading screens. "You'll see." I glanced to Mello who gave me a look of, "kick his ass, please."

Once the game started, I put on my big girl panties and played hard. After winning against Matt in several shotgun and chainsaw battles, lancering him down and using him as a meatshield, Matt was getting annoyed. But once I destroyed him with what was probably the nastiest no-scope headshot in history, he tossed his controller down in front of him and glared at me. "Never played my ass." I laughed along with Mello in the background and sat my controller down. "I never told you I never played. You assumed." I smirked. Suddenly my cheek was hit with a pillow. I glared at Matt, and the fight ensued.

A part of me felt crazy for laughing like I was, but it felt good. It was probably better for me to forget about what was happening to me and have a little fun. There was probably some science magazine somewhere that stated having fun was heart healthy and helped the brain function. Hell, probably help you live longer and reduce stress.

Roger finally barged in and broke up the fight after finding several feathers in the hall. He made myself, Matt, Mello and poor Near who was drug into the fight by me clean up. Roger made me go to my room, I sighed and complied not wanting to be made clean anything else. I picked some feathers out of my hair as I sat in front of the vanity that I had in my room. I looked it over again, seeing some small bags for makeup, which I hardly ever wore. I sighed and picked some new sleep clothes out of my dresser. I didn't feel like showering tonight, I began to change. Once I had my shirt halfway up, I remembered the camera and flew to the bathroom. I turned bright pink and changed. I didn't think of L as a normal man. I didn't even think L would have those feelings. And even though I had only known him for a day, I constantly found myself forgetting that L was a human too.

I exited the bathroom and sat on the end of the bed petting the sleeping cat. Heaven only knew where he went during the day or what he did, but I was happy he didn't have to be cooped up. I was interrupted by a light knock on the door. When I answered, I was shocked to see L standing only inches away from me. His eyes were partially hidden beneath his mess of bangs. "L! What brings you to my humble abode?" He walked past me, hands in his pockets. He towered over me, over a foot taller than me. "I was coming to ask you some questions. He glanced down to my stomach. He moved his eyes back up to mine so quickly, that if I hadn't have been paying attention I wouldn't have noticed. I walked to the bed and sat down, twiddling my thumbs after flattening out the bedsheet. "Okay, shoot." I smiled widely at him, trying to make nice. He stood looking at me, expressionless. Or at least bored. "He called you 'Avery,' correct?" He started off quiet, keeping his hands in his pocket. I nodded, never speaking so he would continue asking questions. Suddenly, he was right in front of me, holding the bottom of my shirt with his thumb and forefinger, slightly tugging it up. I gasped and leapt backwards, pulling my shirt back. "What are you doing!?" I yelped and stared at him wide eyed and in shock, my cheeks so pink I thought they were going to explode.

I thought I saw a light tint of blush on L's cheeks, but I couldn't exactly tell. "I need to look at your wound." He simply stated. I came to the realization that L had never been put into a situation to where he would be this close to another human, let alone a female. He had probably never had physical contact of any kind with anyone; at least not much. "You could have just asked, geeze!" I sounded breathless. I was really nervous. I stood and stepped closer to L, and began to slowly lift my shirt up. God, I hated that I was so close and he could see my damn cheeks. When L touched my stomach, I was kind of shocked to feel that his hand was warm and soft to the touch; not cold like I had expected. He closely examined the cut and the staples that were holding my skin together, being sure to be extra careful. He was so….gentle. "Hmmm…" he pulled his hand back. Instead of asking me more about the case, he gingerly asked me if it hurt. "Uh, um. Uh, no. Not as bad as it did." I pulled my shirt back down and sat on the bed. "This could be interesting to the case." He walked up to me and squatted on the floor in front of me. I avoided his eyes. "How can it be?" I asked him messing with my hair. "Backup, as you may know by now, was a child here at Wammy's. He and one other child were in line to be my successor. As I stated before, B couldn't handle the responsibilities; but neither could A." He paused, his eyes staying on me. "Unfortunately, A left the house in a more tragic manner. Backup and A were very close. What you would call 'best friends.' Backup found A, I feel like it traumatized him more than we originally thought." My mouth dropped. No wonder he was crazy. Being forced to be someone else, living up to everyone's expectations and finding your best friend would have been enough to drive me crazy. Hell, it would be enough to drive anyone insane. _Except L._

I sat in thought for a moment, taking it in. "So, how is this, _any_ of this related to me?" L's long hand went up and pointed to my stomach. "If I am correct, Backup may be drawn to you." I sat confused for a minute before asking what the hell he was talking about. "You favor A quite a bit." He stood and pulled out a small picture from his pocket, handing it to me. The picture was of a young boy, eleven years of age at most. He had short blonde hair, and large blue eyes. He looked like a sweet young boy. He was very cute, like a little brother. He did look a lot like me. The only thing he missed was the small "beauty mark," as my mother called it, on his cheek. It finally hit me that this little boy was A. The one who committed suicide. My heart ached at the thought of someone so young taking their life. I examined him again, he could have been my twin. "His name was Avery." I jerked my head to him, remembering what Backup had said to me. "So why would he hurt me?" He looked away. "That is what we must search for."

L left soon, leaving me alone with the photo and my thoughts. I couldn't help but remember the young boys eyes, shining happily. I looked at my own blue eyes. They were shining alright. Watery with damn tears shiny. I laid the photo on my vanity and put myself to bed. .

**AN~** Once again, terribly sorry that it took me so long to post! Adulthood sucks. :/ Anyway, I need an idea for the fun activity that Link made! Throw me some opinions? I'll definitely use one! Don't worry, you will be given credit for the help!:33333


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: this chapter is a fun chapter! This is also where some lovey dovey stuff happens, also! Hope you like it.d

I really didn't want to wake up. But honestly I had no other choice when I was drug out of my bed by the ankles. "Hey!" I screamed sleepily. I looked up to see the culprit. Ryan. "What the hell, Ryan?" I yelled, tossing a random shoe at his stupid head. Nataliee peered over the bed, her auburn hair hanging off the side of the bed. A furry tail whipped itself around above me.

"You needed to wake up! It's done!" He was whisper yelling. This made me know that it was still too early. "We need your help getting the water going though. We need two more water hose." He walked around my room, his work boots slamming on the floor. I stood and adjusted my sleep shorts and attempted to flatten my hair down. Damn I needed a brush. "Where do I get hose from?" I made my way to the vanity abs sat down on the small stool and went to work on my rats nest. Izzy was stretched out across Nataliee's lap. I saw her shrug. "Probably the building. Or maybe we could ask Watari a little later for the other two?" She suggested, still in her pajamas as well. Ryan nodded, though I could tell he was growing impatient.

After fighting for a good ten minutes, I finally had all my blonde mess put into a simple braid. I hated myself for my inability to be a female. Sighing, I stood and looked at the two. I would need a bathing suit for my fun today, as well as mountains of sun screen. I looked to the dresser against the wall. I had every other type of outfit, so why couldn't I have a swim suit in there?

Nataliee had a small smile on her face as she watched me walk to the dresser. "Watari does a pretty good job at picking out clothes, huh?" She picked up the bottom of her flowing pink night gown. So Watari is the fella responsible for my new wardrobe. I made a note to thank him later. I pulled it open and went through the bottom drawer that was for my underwear. I blushed because the sizes were spot on.

My eyes fell on something I had not expected to see, especially since Watari did the shopping. I grabbed the bright pink lace material and flashed it to Nataliee, my mouth open in horror. "What is this?!" I asked in shock, dropping the thing to the floor. "It looks like a thong!" She exclaimed, her cheeks were pink, but definitely not as pink as mine. I was thankful that Ryan had left to find Harper. I looked at the foreign object and reddened deeper. There was no way Watari had purchased such a thing. I picked them up, reminding myself of L, with my thumb and forefinger. They were pretty cute, but I had only ever worn a thong once in my life, and that wasn't totally because I wanted to. "Please tell me Watari didn't buy this!" I exclaimed, pulling them out. They were small, big enough for my waist.

Nataliee shook her head, a light giggle escaping her lips. She wiggled her finger at a tag. I examined it, and sighed, hiding my face in my hands. Matt's name was scrawled in cursive underneath the Victoria's Secret tag. Matt, that pervert! "What an ass!" I nervously laughed and put them back in my drawer, going back to love looking for the bathing suit.

Unfortunately for me, Matt had struck again. A bright peach colored two-piece laid on my bed. The only bathing suit in the drawer, and it was a two piece. I sighed. I would have to take it. Nataliee left after cackling to herself to go get her own swimsuit, and I slipped into the bathroom and slipped it on.

This would be the death of me. I examined myself in the mirror again. I was pale, and had smooth skin all over; minus the ugly red A on my stomach, and a few light bruises on sides and shoulder. I was a little thicker, my curves very pronounced. But I was still small enough to be thin. I walked out into my room, feeling awkward. What if L could see me? Oh, what did it matter? He would probably see me later anyway. But still, something about being on the camera made me blush. I grabbed my sleep shorts and shirt and slipped them on, and made my way outside.

It was about 8:30 in the morning, and it was already pretty warm outside. Today was going to be fun. I made my way to the back of the house, and when I saw it, my mouth dropped.

A huge water slide now sat in the backyard. It curved pretty deep several times before exiting into a large pool at the end. Beside the slide, no doubt for all the little kids, was a large slip-and-slide. It went down the small hill, stopping right just before the tree line in a large pool as well. Sprinklers were set around the sides of the slip-n-slide and around the yard.

I spotted Ryan standing on top of the slide, jumping on each and every step. For once he was being cautious. "It looks great, Ryan!" I called to him. He smiled down, and waved. "Today's gonna be a dang good day!" He jumped down the rest of the stairs and ran up to me.

Nataliee was coming up behind us, her polka-dotted bathing suit hidden underneath a black coverup. "You guys, we still have a little bit of time left to set up the tables and stuff before the kids come out! I told everyone at breakfast to wear their swimsuits!" She ran faster, her hair flopping around wildly with each stride.

When she finally came up to us, she stared dreamily at Ryan who was picking up random tools. It was painfully obvious she liked him. I wonder if he liked her too?

After setting up all the tables with their umbrellas, a medic table and some snack bars, we were almost ready. But something was missing. But what? Music. We were missing what would make today perfect. A nice jam. "Hey, we need music, guys." I called out to them. Ryan knew exactly who to ask; it gave him the opportunity to talk so great of his role model. "Ask Matt! He's really good with electronics." Ryan's goggles gleamed in the sunlight. He did remind me a lot of Matt.

I went to room 14 to retrieve my tech support. I knew he would be hard to wake up, but he would live. I stood outside his door for a good five minutes before he answered. A groan behind the door as it opened. Matt's bed head was hilarious. He looked at me, smiled and began talking. "To what do I owe the torture of being woken up at 10:30 am on a Saturday?" He questioned me playfully, his voice still full of sleep. "We need music outside, Matt. Can you help me?" I batted my eyelashes. Hell, it was worth a try. It worked in movies. Matt chuckled and rubbed his eyes and stretched. He turned and bent down, grabbing his boots from behind the door. He stepped into the hall, closing the door. "You better be glad you're cute." I smiled and followed him outside.

Eventually almost everyone was outside; save for the four outcast, Mello, Near, Matt (who ditched the party,) L and Roger and Watari. Everyone who was currently participating was having the time of their lives. Nataliee and Ryan were racing each other down the slip-n-slide as I watched them from the top of the larger slide. I was helping the younger children go down. After a good forty-five minutes of that, I made my way down the stairs. I hadn't gotten wet yet, not even out of the clothes covering my swim suit. I was still too self-conscious.

Nataliee ran up to meet me, dripping wet and walking around in her bathing suit. A light tinge of envy fell over me, but quickly went away. "Link, c'mon! It's so much fun! You're not gonna be having fun if you're not getting wet!" I covered my face as Ryan shouted, "that's what she said," and I laughed. "It's cool, Nat. I'll swim, I'm just taking my time." I gave her a thumbs up and walked to the first aid booth for more sunblock. I could tell I was freckling and burning, even underneath the pounds of sunblock that I had already applied.

Suddenly several small shrill voices were calling my name. "Lincoln! Lincoln!" I turned around, still rubbing the sunblock on my cheeks, to find four little girls rpunning to me. "Lincoln, we know you were a cheerleader in high school! We want to be one too!" My eyes went wide. I was a cheerleader for one month of my whole high school career. How in the heck did they know? "Nothing's a secret for you anymore." Matt's words rand in my head. Of course.

I was grabbed by my wrist and drug over beside the slip-n-slide, and was forced to show the little girls flips, cartwheels and cheers. After thirty minutes of this, I spotted five figures filing towards the shindig. They all sat, except for Watari, at a table under and umbrella.

"Glad you guys could make it!"

I yelled happily as I walked to them. "Wanna take a slide?" They all looked at me, bored. Near shook his fuzzy white head. "Thank you, Lincoln, but I think I will pass this time." I sniffled and began to elbow Watari. "How about you, Watari? You seem like a party animal!" He chuckled. "I'm sorry, Miss. I'm not one for swimming. I am afraid I must decline." Even though I was batting my eyelashes, he still said no. I didn't even bother asking Matt, who looked to be asleep with his head dangling over the back of the chair, so I asked Mello. "How about you, Mello? You'll get a nice candy bar?" I really wanted someone who hadn't been down yet to join me. I was so nervous. Suddenly I was being picked up from behind, like I was a kitten. "You're going down, Lincoln." I recognized the voice, it was a Ryan. Out of being scared I kicked a drink right out of someone's hand and it landed right on Mello's blonde head. Shit. "Shit." Ryan dropped me and took off running. I sat on my ass dazed for a second, then realized I was a sitting duck, so I hauled ass out of there too.

Mello was yelling something, but I wasn't stopping until he did. The children had stopped sliding and whatever else they were doing to watch the chase. I passed up Ryan and circled around behind the slide, and back towards the table where L, Near, and now a very confused Matt sat. Watari stood, shaking his head. "Help! Someone! Don't just stand there! Someone is going to die!" Mello yelled something again, I turned and he was running harder, his face still red with anger. I screamed and ran faster.

I was dripping with sweat, and I was looking forward to going down one of the slides when this was over...or I was dead one. At some point, my adrenaline ceased, and Mello caught up with me. He tackled me down as I was making my second lap back to where everyone was sitting. The children booed. "You're getting it now!" Mello yelled, picking me up. I looked back to the boys as he threw me over his shoulder and mouthed, "help me." Mello stopped at the slip-n-slide and began to throw me. As I left his arms I grabbed his leather jacket and tugged him down with me, sliding all the way down. We landed together at the bottom, slamming hard into the wall because of the momentum from tossing each other down. I heard cheering as I came up for air, the kids yelling and laughing. Mello stood, grumbling under his breath. "Thanks a whole heaping lot, Lincoln." He griped stepping over side. I laughed and stood up myself. "Hey, at least you're clean now!" He shot me a dirty look and marched up the hill.

I sighed and looked down at my clothes. Ruined. Or maybe if I hurry Watari could fix em? I disrobed and followed Mello. Nataliee whistled as I walked by. I reddened all over and folded my arms across my body.

Upon getting back at the table, I noted the one person I needed to be there to be missing. Damn it. Instead I was greeted by the boys. Matt whistled and grinned evilly to himself. I smacked him in the back of the head as I walked around to sit on the other side of Near. "You're such a perv!" I yelled across the table. He chuckled. "Noooo. I just have a keen eye." And he winked.

"Why do you say this?" L asked looking at me. I huffed. "Because, he bought me some naughty undergarments and this get up!" I gestured towards the peach colored bikini. It may have been cute, but a little too much for me. "You look fine, Lincoln." Near spoke. He sounded sincere, and very proper. I thanked him and he went on fiddling with a lock of hair.

After sitting awkwardly for a few more minutes, I was thankful to be drug away by Nataliee. I spent the rest of the afternoon sliding, teaching Nataliee how to do a cartwheel, and reapplying sun block.

That night after supper, everyone was called out to the yard again to watch the fireworks. I remained in my bathing suit, never going inside to eat in the first place. Nataliee and Ryan had gotten separated from me at one point, so I walked to the edge of the trees to sit alone for the fireworks.

I had been sitting there with my knees to my chest for a few minutes when I heard someone step behind me. I prepared myself for the worst. I felt a warm hand touch my bare back; it was familiar. I looked up to see L smiling down at me. "Care if I join you?" He asked me quietly. I nodded and made room for him to sit. I became very aware of the little roll on my stomach that formed as i scrunched, so I leaned back hopefully making it less noticeable. "What are you doing out here? I'm surprised you took a break for as long as you did today!" I was surprised, really, I was. It seemed like the past three days I've only ever seen him leave his room twice, and I don't even think I've seen him sleep. No wonder he's got bags.

"Which is why I am out here now. For a break." He was trying to be a smart ass. I laughed loudly. He was squatting next to me, one hand on his knee and the other with his thumb in his mouth staring at me like a confused kid. He actually looked kind of...cute. I reddened at my thought process. "You're staring again." I was caught once more. Damn. I just stared at him for a second, then I turned my head. I had no idea why I was so frazzled and nervous. I was probably intimidated.

L broke the awkward silence when he handed me a small chocolate. "Here." Was all he said. After thanking him, I placed the small chocolate on my knee and looked at him. "Why aren't you fat?" He jerked his head, his eyes wide for half a second before returning to their normal dull state. "I use my brain. You won't get fat if you think." Was he calling me fat and stupid?

Before I could stare my offense, fireworks went off, causing me to jump. Sadly, I bumped into L, causing him to land on his butt. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry!" I was fumbling around awkwardly, I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "I'm so, so sorry!" I was blushing furiously, stuttering through every word. He releases my hand and places both of his on my shoulders. "It's fine, Lincoln." He made a light smile. Again, I caught his eyes move rapidly to the side, the back at me. I left it at nothing, and smiled at him.

"Watch the fireworks." He stated. I nodded and watched them in silence with my new awkward friend.

Unfortunately for me, this would be the last time that I got to enjoy the outside world normally. For awhile.

A/N: I'm so sorry! I had papers due, and my new job sucks butt. :/ Again, I'm sorry this chapter was kind of weird, but, I mean. It was cute. :3

so. I promise to have the next chapter up by Friday. (: Hope you enjoy! And thanks if you're reading! :)


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